A big update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to appoint Brendan Rodgers as their replacement for Ange Postecoglou…
What's the latest on Brendan Rodgers to Celtic?
According to The Scottish Sun, the Hoops have agreed terms with the 50-year-old tactician after talks between the ex-Leicester City boss and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond went well.
The report claims that the club see this proposed appointment as a statement of intent and believe that they can now push on in the Champions League next season.
It is stated that an announcement is expected on Monday [19th June 2023] as they plot to officially confirm their new head coach, who was once hailed as a "genius" by journalist Sid Lowe.
Does David Turnbull have a future at Celtic?
The return of Rodgers to Parkhead could ensure that attacking midfielder David Turnbull has a future at the club as the Scotland international could be the perfect playmaker for the Northern Irishman.
During the 2022/23 campaign, the 24-year-old wizard was restricted to just six starts in the Scottish Premiership as he failed to break into the starting line-up on a regular basis.
The no.10 did not naturally fit in with Postecoglou's 4-3-3 set-up but could be the dream player to feature as the supporting player behind the striker in Rodgers' 4-2-3-1 system.
Celtic midfielder David Turnbull.
Playing as an attacking midfielder in that formation with two teammates behind him and three forwards to link up with, it could suit him perfectly as the former Motherwell star is an exceptional talent on the ball who has the quality to score and create goals on a regular basis.
Prior to Postecoglou's arrival in 2021, Turnbull started 30 matches in the Premiership during the 2020/21 campaign and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.47 – the highest average score in the entire squad that season.
The Hoops star scored nine goals and created 12 'big chances' for his teammates, whilst he also created 2.9 chances per game, in 36 league appearances.
No Celtic player created more than Matt O'Riley's 2.1 opportunities per match in the Premiership during the season just gone under Postecoglou and Reo Hatate was the highest-scoring central midfielder with six.
These statistics suggest that Turnbull has the ability to play as a no.10 and offer far more quality in the final third than the club saw from their other options in the middle of the park last season, by providing more goals and opening up the opposition's defence more frequently to create for his teammates.
The 6 foot 1 magician has proven himself to be an exceptional performer in the Scottish top-flight and for Celtic in the past and Rodgers coming in to utilise him as an attacking midfielder could allow the young maestro to flourish next term, which is why this appointment is fantastic news for the £16k-per-week dynamo.
Steven Smith, Australia’s captain, praised Travis Head for taking his opportunity at No. 6 in Australia’s 68-run victory over New Zealand in the first match of the Chappell-Hadlee series
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2016Steven Smith, Australia’s captain, praised Travis Head for taking his opportunity at No. 6 in Australia’s 68-run victory over New Zealand in the first match of the Chappell-Hadlee series. Smith said the decision to prefer Head in the middle order had nothing to do with Glenn Maxwell’s comments about team-mate Matthew Wade ahead of the match, describing Head’s batting as “beautiful” after the two put on a century stand to revive Australia from 92 for 4 in Sydney.Head made 52, his highest international score and second half-century in 13 ODIs, to help set up the Australia innings, while Smith went on to record 164 – a record at the SCG – as New Zealand conceded a total that proved to be well out of their reach, despite a fighting hundred from Martin Guptill.”It was more about giving Travis another opportunity, he played well last week, scored a hundred in Shield cricket so he’s in good nick,” Smith said of the decision to pick Head ahead of Maxwell. “I guess it was about giving him an opportunity first and obviously he played pretty well, so he’s taken that opportunity.”Asked about the relationship between the two Victorians, after Maxwell’s criticism of Wade, Smith said: “I think they’re okay. I made some comments in here the other day about him, the comments that he made were disappointing and disrespectful towards Matty and I think we’ve moved on from that now and it’s about focusing on this series. It was great for us to get a win tonight and hopefully we can play some more good cricket in the nation’s capital.”Maxwell has not played an ODI since the tri-series with West Indies and South Africa in June, during which Head made his debut. Since then, Head has made a number of handy starts – only twice failing to reach double-figures – but he needed some luck in Sydney, with Matt Henry fluffing a simple catch when he had 7.”When he came out to bat, we were just communicating, saying that we’d try and get through to about 40 overs and then we’d have a bit of a crack at them,” Smith said. “We were able to still play quit positively through that period and score five an over, so we set ourselves up nicely with that partnership and I thought the way he played was beautiful, he obviously got dropped that one at mid-off, but besides that I think he played some really good cricket. And it was nice to see Matthew Wade come in at the end and play a good little cameo as well.”It looks like [Head’s] improving every game, he’s in good form, coming off the back of a hundred last week in the Shield, so he’s playing some good cricket and I’m sure he’s going to continue to improve.”Smith chose not to dwell on his own innings, calling it “pleasing” and saying he preferred the century he made at the SCG during the 2015 World Cup semi-final. He was also grateful for the indecision among the New Zealand ranks after Trent Boult appealed for an lbw when Smith had made 14 – Kane Williamson chose not to review, possibly on the suggestion of a team-mate that there was bat involved, only for Hawk-Eye to show it would have been overturned on DRS.”I was pretty glad they didn’t review it. I think it was out, so yeah, of course I’m glad,” Smith said. “But not much was really going through my head, I let it go pretty quickly and moved on. Thought he set me up pretty well, actually, Boult wasn’t swinging any so I was moving across even further and then he got one to come back quite late. So set me up pretty well and fortunately it got given not out, and unfortunate for NZ that it was.”I think someone said that I’d hit it, from point, I reckon I heard someone say that I’d hit it, and I think they ran with that. I may have looked at my bat at one point as well, to throw them.”
The second morning began with Australia firmly on top; the third will start with South Africa in a position of strength
The Report by Brydon Coverdale04-Nov-2016 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWhen Australia and South Africa play, you should expect the unexpected. Not literally, of course, because then it wouldn’t be unexpected anymore. But in recent Tests between these two nations there have typically been more swings than a children’s playground, more roundabouts than Canberra. It is always hard to predict the direction of the contest. Such has been the case over the first two days at the WACA.The second morning began with Australia firmly on top; the third will start with South Africa in a position of strength. By stumps on day two, the visitors had a lead of 102 runs with eight wickets in hand, a quite unbelievable state of affairs only eight hours earlier. Dean Elgar was on 46 and JP Duminy had 34, and South Africa had completely loosened the tight grip Australia had held on the match the previous evening.It all started with David Warner dabbling outside off and edging Dale Steyn to slip on 97. Strange things then started to happen. Firstly, Steyn failed to complete his next over; clutching his right shoulder he walked off the field, a sorry sight for South African fans, who have seen their team win a Test without him only once in the past eight years. Late in the day, Steyn’s injury was confirmed as a fracture that ruled him out of the entire tour.Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and debutant Keshav Maharaj ran through Australia’s order with renewed vigour, completing a remarkable collapse of 10 for 86 that began with the single wicket taken by South Africa’s best bowler, perhaps of all time, who was otherwise absent. Philander became the leader, and they applied constant pressure on Australia’s batsmen.Philander and Rabada found some reverse swing, and Maharaj bowled impressively, keeping things tight enough at his end while also picking up a few wickets. He is the first specialist spinner in Test history to make his debut at the pace-friendly WACA, and he justified his inclusion by dismissing Australia’s captain Steven Smith, wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, and then Mitchell Starc.The wicket of Smith was particularly jaw-dropping, mostly for the brazen – though legitimate – lbw decision given by umpire Aleem Dar. Smith, yet to score, advanced down the pitch from his fourth delivery and could not get bat on ball, which prompted a zealous appeal from Maharaj but a half-hearted one from his team-mates. It was, as the police might say, just a routine enquiry – until Dar unholstered his finger.Steven Smith was lbw for a duck as Australia lost all 10 wickets for 86 runs after being 0 for 158•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
Smith looked dumbstruck, and immediately asked for a review. The broadcaster’s technology suggested he was well down the pitch – 2.8 metres from the stumps when struck – but the ball was hitting in line, and was going on to clip the top of leg stump. The umpire’s decision stood: Maharaj had his first Test wicket, and Australia were starting to wobble at 3 for 168.Already Usman Khawaja had been and gone, bowled for 4 by a beauty from Rabada, who angled one in from around the wicket and sneaked through the batsman’s defences. Shaun Marsh, who had batted so solidly with Warner in a 158-run opening stand, fell to a similar delivery from Philander for 63 – he did get his pad in the way, but Nigel Llong’s lbw decision was also upheld on review.There was precious little resistance from the rest of Australia’s order, although Adam Voges and Peter Nevill at least reached the 20s. But Mitchell Marsh, under pressure to hold the No. 6 spot after selector Rod Marsh said last week “he needs to get a Test hundred I reckon”, fell a hundred runs short. He was lbw for an eight-ball duck to Philander, and perhaps the biggest worry was the distance by which he missed the ball.Voges spooned a return catch to Rabada for 27, Starc was caught at midwicket for a duck off Maharaj, Nevill was caught at slip off Maharaj for 23, though was unlucky Australia’s reviews were exhausted for he appeared not to have touched the ball. Josh Hazlewood was taken at gully off Philander for 4 and Nathan Lyon was caught at slip off Philander for 0. Peter Siddle remained unbeaten on 18, having helped Australia squeeze into the lead.It was a quite remarkable collapse; not on the scale of Australia’s 47 all out in Cape Town, of course, but remarkable mostly because South Africa achieved all but one of the wickets without their best bowler. Australia went rapidly from complete dominance to serious danger of conceding a first-innings lead. By the change of innings, the Test was effectively all square.Still, South Africa needed to avoid the kind of top-order wobbles that had left them at 4 for 32 on the first morning. Stephen Cook and Elgar provided a more solid opening stand on this occasion, although Cook still could not survive for too long, and was caught for 12 pulling Siddle to midwicket.The loss of Hashim Amla, who chopped on to Hazlewood for 1 – his first-innings duck meant a Test aggregate of one run in this match, equalling his career worst – had the potential to give Australia the momentum, but they could not find another breakthrough. By stumps, Elgar and Duminy had moved the total on to 2 for 104.On the first day, Australia’s bowlers had run through South Africa for 242, and their openers had then cruised to 105 without loss. The question was not whether Australia would take the lead, but by how much. That was even more the case when the score moved along to 0 for 158. Then the unexpected began to happen. Who knows, then, what might happen on day three?
تحدث الكرواتي لوكا مودريتش قائد ريال مدريد، عن لقائه مع زميله سيرجيو راموس قائد الفريق السابق ومدافع إشبيلية الحالي، عقب المباراة بين الفريقين.
والتقى ريال مدريد وإشبيلية على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” ضمن مباريات الجولة السادسة والعشرين للدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.
وعاد راموس إلى البرنابيو كخصم، وحقق ريال مدريد الفوز بهدف دون مقابل سجله مودريتش في الدقيقة 81.
اقرأ أيضًا | رجل مباراة ريال مدريد وإشبيلية في الدوري الإسباني
وقال مودريتش في تصريحاته إلى تليفزيون ريال مدريد، حين سُئل عن تبديل القميص مع راموس: “نعم، هذا القميص له”.
وأضاف: “وماذا يمكنني أن أقول، إنه صديقي، أخي، لاعب عظيم يواصل إثبات ذلك، على الرغم من أن الجميع يريد التحدث عن أعمارنا، إلا أنه يواصل إظهار أنه لاعب رائع وعلى مستوى عالٍ جدًا”.
وأكد مودريتش: “هناك فرحة كبيرة برؤيته، لقد قدم مباراة رائعة وأراه سعيدًا جدًا ومتحمسًا للعودة إلى البرنابيو”.
وأتم: “كما كان المشجعون سعداء برؤيته، حتى لو كان في الفريق الآخر، هو أسطورة عظيمة في كرة القدم العالمية، وقبل كل شيء أسطورة لريال مدريد”.
Leeds United could be set to make a move to fill their managerial vacancy, with a key name having emerged…
What's the latest on Carlos Corberan to Leeds United?
That's according to Phil Hay, who, writing for The Athletic, offered an update on the 49ers' search for their new head coach.
Whilst Brendan Rodgers has since been ruled out of the running, with the Celtic job seemingly a far more preferable role, Carlos Corberan remains an option despite the Spaniard having signed a new contract at West Bromwich Albion in February.
Final interviews are planned with the man who has occupied a spot in the Elland Road dugout before, and the new owners will hope to have come to a conclusion as soon as possible.
Would Carlos Corberan fix Leeds United?
The one big issue that Jesse Marsch faced, alongside Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce who followed him, was at the back.
No matter how free-flowing their attack may have been, Marcelo Bielsa had seemingly irreparably shifted the mindset of the club in that defending was a second thought. Whilst this worked wonders during that first term back in the Premier League as they finished ninth, it quickly grew stagnant as injuries seeped in and a lack of top-flight quality became ever apparent.
The Argentine's dismissal became a foregone conclusion, and his American successor underwent similar issues without the attacking finesse or legendary status his predecessor commanded in west Yorkshire.
Across 37 games in charge, he would lose 16 and ship 60 goals. In the most recent campaign, of which he was sacked midway through, Leeds conceded a mammoth 78 times, the most in the entire division.
leeds-carlos-corberan-marcelo-bielsa
Meanwhile in the second tier, having taken over from a struggling Steve Bruce, Corberan caught the eye by propelling the Baggies from a relegation battle into the playoff picture, having shored up their defence and made them a true threat on the counter.
Having only overseen 33 games, the 40-year-old has conceded just 37 goals and has subsequently picked up a points-per-match average of 1.70 with his pleasing 4-2-3-1 system. To think that he has already proven himself in the Championship too, his appointment makes more and more sense.
This is without mentioning his work at Huddersfield Town, where against all the odds he nearly led the Terriers back to the top-flight, felled at the final playoff hurdle by Nottingham Forest.
It is no surprise to see Corberan so widely lauded, with former Leeds player Romario Vieira even claiming: "He's a great guy and so talented. When he told us how he wanted us to play, we thought he was crazy. Then it clicked and we were like, 'This guy's a genius.'"
With Marsch failing to make the defence solid enough for safety, perhaps appointing this experienced young coach could fix this key issue to allow them not just to escape the second division, but thrive in the Premier League too.
Matthew Wade insists that his glove work has gone up a notch or three since he was dropped for Brad Haddin ahead of the 2013 Ashes series
Daniel Brettig in Adelaide21-Nov-20161:31
‘I can help the younger guys’ – Wade
In the days when Australia’s cricket team were all-conquering, Adam Gilchrist was frequently referred to as the side’s allrounder, for his batting carried that kind of weight. On his recall to the national side in far grimmer times, Matthew Wade’s allround responsibilities appear to be threefold: batting, wicketkeeping and “presence”.While Wade insists that his glove work has gone up a notch or three since he was dropped for Brad Haddin ahead of the 2013 Ashes series, ending a run of 12 Tests behind the stumps, he also acknowledged his role around the team will be much more multifaceted than simply adding to his tally of dismissals.Colour-blind Wade sizes up pink ball
Matthew Wade is colour-blind, but insists he will not let this be an issue when he seeks to cleanly glove the pink ball during the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval. His former Victoria teammate Chris Rogers was also colour-blind and always stated how difficult that made sighting the pink ball on a white sight screen. “I’ve got more used to it I suppose. The more you play, you get more used to it,” Wade said. “But the ball is getting better year in, year out. It’ll be interesting to see what it does. I played pink ball at Adelaide Oval last year in a Shield game ,so it’ll be interesting to see what it does in the Test arena. “You’ve just got to get used to it. I think it’s trying to get it out of your mind. I can see the colour of the ball, I pick it up. it’s just at times it takes a little bit longer to work out the depth of where it’s coming.” Asked whether that would pose trouble on his Test return, Wade was blunt: “It can’t be an issue, I’ve got to work it out.”
At a time when Australian batting could not be at a lower ebb, Wade must bring plenty of runs, after the fashion of his two commendable Test hundreds against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. In particular he must help to fashion lower-order partnerships to extract more value from the home side’s tail – something he enjoys.”I enjoy that part of the game, I enjoy the scrap,” Wade said on Monday. “I enjoy getting out there when our backs are to the wall. Hopefully that doesn’t come in this Test, but if it does I’m looking forward to getting out there and having a scrap, yeah.”That liking for a “scrap” has not always paid off for Wade. He has got himself in trouble on the field for aggressive verbal exchanges, most recently in South Africa during the ODI series that preceded these Tests. But in the wake of the captain Steven Smith’s plea for cricketers prepared to fight for the national team cause, a more pugilistic presence behind the stumps has helped push Wade ahead of Peter Nevill.”I think I just bring what I bring for Victoria week in, week out,” he said. “Obviously I’ve been picked for a reason and I’ll just come and play my way. I’ve been picked to come in and be a bit of a presence hopefully I suppose. I feel like being around one day international team for a while I can really lead as well.”I’ve been around for long enough it doesn’t feel like I’m coming in for my first game. I can come in and contribute and help the leaders out on the field. I don’t go into any game looking to really get into anyone’s head. I just go out and play the way that I play.”I’m competitive. I like the contest. If an opportunity comes where I feel like I can contribute in that way to get benefit for the team then I will. I certainly don’t go out looking to target people, it just develops out on the ground.”Underpinning all this will be Wade’s effectiveness or otherwise behind the stumps. Intriguingly, he has not worked specifically with any one mentor to improve his technique, whether it be footwork, softer hands or anticipation. But he acknowledges now that it was the art of wicketkeeping that got away from him at the time he was dropped from the Test side, meaning that much more emphasis on it this time around.”There’s no doubt when I played Test cricket last time my wicket keeping was not where it needed to be so I’ve worked hard on it and improvements have come,” he said. “So I feel confident in my game that I can make a contribution in the team. That’s what it’s all about.”The good thing about wicket keeping is that everywhere you go generally you find a keeper. I’ve done work with Heals [Ian Healy], I’ve done work with Rod [Marsh], I’ve done work with Tim Coyle. I’ve worked with everyone. But in the end when you’re out there and things aren’t going well you’ve got to try and work it out yourself and if you don’t know your game 100% it’s going to be hard to get back.”I just needed to keep better that was basically it. Three years ago was a long time ago so hard to remember exactly what the selectors told me at that time. But I knew I needed to work on my keeping at that stage, it was no surprise I was out of the team. But I’ve worked hard on it and I’m confident in it that I can contribute. It’s not about my wicket keeping or my batting. It’s about trying to find a way as a team to get some wins out.”Winning culture is something Australia desperately need right now, in whatever form it takes. As Victoria’s captain, Wade has helmed consecutive Sheffield Shield triumphs for his state and just yesterday helped oversee a crushing win for the Bushrangers over their longtime rivals New South Wales at the SCG. It all helps.”I’ve played enough first-class cricket now and been around the Australian setup long enough to feel like I can go out and lead,” he said. “Whether it’s helping young guys, or helping the more experienced guys. Whatever the team needs, I’ll be there to help out.”
Leeds United suffered the ignominy of relegation from the Premier League this season and have identified Brendan Rodgers as a potential managerial candidate for next year.
What's the latest on Brendan Rodgers to Leeds?
A report from the Daily Star at the start of the month claimed that the club are 'huge admirers' of the former Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester City boss, who was dismissed by the latter several months ago after their own plummet from the top-flight this term.
Since then, CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, confirmed that the Whites are compiling a list of managerial targets after Sam Allardyce's departure and Rodgers is indeed at the forefront.
He said: "There are obviously a few candidates that Leeds are looking at at the moment. We're hearing growing talk of names like Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter.
"I think both of those would see themselves as Premier League managers, but Leeds are a big club and in a year might be in the Premier League again, which is why Leeds may feel that they have that opportunity."
Should Leeds appoint Brendan Rodgers?
There are few prospective gaffers that would represent a greater coup than Rodgers for the 49ers this summer, with the distinguished 50-year-old winning a wealth of silverware with the Hoops and the FA Cup and Community Shield with the Foxes.
Leeds supporters will be dismayed by the failure to cement a comfortable position in the Premier League after so many years of strife, languishing in the second and third tier, and this historic English outfit must now take the requisite steps to ensure they are not mired in obscurity for another interminable period.
And Rodgers would be a first-rate appointment; a proven winner, the Northern Irish boss's 'free-flowing, possession-based' approach fits the kind of exciting style that Whites fans became so accustomed to under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa, and given his inclination to field a 4-2-3-1 set-up, the likes of the lacklustre Brenden Aaronson could finally forge a career worth cheering in Yorkshire.
Signing from RB Salzburg for around £25m last summer, the attacking midfielder was expected to act as a conduit between the centre and the frontline and rekindle the offensive verve that dissipated somewhat as Leeds narrowly staved off relegation in the 21/22 season.
However, after scoring just one goal and supplying three assists from 36 top-flight appearances, his endeavours were anything but auspicious and he was even branded a "lightweight" by pundit Jon Newsome.
Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson.
The 29-cap USMNT player could be transformed by Rodgers who has had notable success with James Maddison.
With his tendency to star as a No. 10 in the Northern Irishman's system, the Foxes phenom found great success this term despite his club's relegation.
Maddison plundered ten goals and nine assists from just 28 league starts and has been heralded as a "magician" by Statman Dave, and under his former gaffer, he posted 49 goals and 33 assists from 166 displays.
Once described as a "stand-out" asset with "huge energy" for Leeds by Noel Whelan, Aaronson fell by the wayside but could rekindle his flame under new management in the Maddison role, albeit in a new division.
Indeed, with a clean slate to finally demonstrate his playmaking capabilities to the demanding Whites fanbase, he could finally become a star a year after signing.
كشفت تقارير صحفية تطورات تخص اهتمام نادي ليفربول بالحصول على خدمات المدير الفني لفريق باير ليفركوزن، تشابي ألونسو، الموسم القادم.
وكان مدرب ليفربول، يورجن كلوب، قد أعلن الشهر الماضي أنه ينوي مغادرة النادي نهاية الموسم الحالي.
اقرأ أيضًا.. ليفربول يدرس قرارًا يتعلق بـ كلوب بعد حصوله على كأس كاراباو
وارتبط العديد من المدربين بخلافة كلوب في ليفربول، وعلى رأسهم مدرب باير ليفركوزن تشابي ألونسو.
كما ظهر تشابي ألونسو كمرشح لخلافة توماس توخيل في تدريب بايرن ميونخ، بعدما أعلن النادي أن الألماني سيرحل بمجرد انتهاء هذا الموسم.
ووفقًا لما ذكرته شبكة “فوت ميركاتو” اليوم، فإن ليفربول أجرى محادثات إيجابية جديدة مع تشابي ألونسو، فيما يتعلق بخلافته لـ كلوب في ملعب “الأنفيلد”.
وأوضحت أن تشابي ألونسو يميل لفكرة تدريب ليفربول، مقارنة بـ بايرن ميونخ، حيث يُعد الأخير خيارًا ثانويًا في ذهن الإسباني.
وأشارت إلى أن تشابي ألونسو يدرك الإنجازات التي يحققها مع ليفركوزن ولكن اهتمام ليفربول الحقيقي من المرجح أن يقلب كل شيء رأسًا على عقب.
ومن المتوقع أن يكون تشابي ألونسو سعيدًا بقبول التحدي الهائل المتمثل في خلافة يورجن كلوب، حيث أنه متحمس لتلك الفكرة وخوض تجربة مميزة في الدوري الإنجليزي.
Australia’s selectors will have plenty to keep them occupied over the next few days as the Sheffield Shield season begins
Brydon Coverdale24-Oct-2016
Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns were both prolific scorers last Test summer, but face a battle to regain their positions this season•Getty Images
Sheffield Shield squads
Queensland Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja (capt), Charlie Hemphrey, Peter Forrest, Jason Floros, Chris Hartley, Michael Neser, Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Mitch Swepson, Peter George. New South Wales David Warner, Ed Cowan, Kurtis Patterson, Steven Smith (capt), Ryan Carters, Ryan Gibson, Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Trent Copeland, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Doug Bollinger. Victoria Travis Dean, Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Cameron White, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (capt), Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Scott Boland, Jon Holland. Tasmania Ben Dunk, Caleb Jewell, Beau Webster, Alex Doolan, George Bailey (capt), Jake Doran, James Faulkner, Simon Milenko, Cameron Stevenson, Jackson Bird, Cameron Boyce, Andrew Fekete. Western Australia Cameron Bancroft, Shaun Marsh, Michael Klinger, Adam Voges (capt), Jon Wells, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Hilton Cartwright, Sam Whiteman, Ashton Agar, David Moody, Ryan Duffield, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Rimmington. South Australia Jake Weatherald, Kelvin Smith, Callum Ferguson, Travis Head (capt), Jake Lehmann, Tom Cooper, Alex Carey, Joe Mennie, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Chadd Sayers, Daniel Worrall.
Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns at the Gabba; Jackson Bird and Peter Siddle at the MCG; Shaun Marsh at the WACA – Australia’s selectors will have plenty to keep them occupied over the next few days as the Sheffield Shield season begins. A full round of matches – day-night games with the pink ball – starts on Tuesday, and the squad for Australia’s first Test against South Africa is set to be named on Friday.And while much of the squad is predictable, there are still a few decisions for Rod Marsh’s selection panel to make. Most notably, they will want to see Starc come through unscathed at the Gabba in his first match since having 30 stitches in his left shin following a training mishap in September.Starc said on Sunday that although he expected to be unrestricted in bowling over the coming weeks, he had been advised not to dive or slide in the field, or he would risk reopening the deep laceration suffered when he slid into the base of a set of metal stumps. Test captain Steven Smith will lead Starc and his New South Wales team-mates against Queensland at the Gabba this week.”I think he’ll do his best to stay on his feet as much as he can,” Smith told reporters in Sydney on Monday. “He’s bowled the last couple of weeks, he feels like the ball is coming out really well so a bit of game time into him [will be good]. I’ll take care of him and make sure he’s okay for that first Test match. It’s exciting to see him back on the park.”Should Starc be passed fit for the Perth Test, which starts on Thursday next week, he will likely lead the attack alongside Josh Hazlewood, with spinner Nathan Lyon, allrounder Mitchell Marsh, and a third frontline fast man making up the bowling group. Bird is effectively the incumbent, having taken seven wickets against New Zealand in Christchurch in February.Australia’s only Tests since then have been in Sri Lanka, where two spinners were used alongside Starc and Hazlewood. However, Bird could have competition from Siddle, who played in the first Test in Wellington on the New Zealand tour in February before being diagnosed with stress fractures of the back. Siddle played three Matador Cup games this month, but this week will mark his first-class comeback.Siddle and Bird will both be in action in Melbourne, where Victoria take on Tasmania. On the other side of the country, Western Australia host South Australia at the WACA, where Shaun Marsh will be hoping to prove his fitness as he comes back from a hamstring problem. Marsh is David Warner’s incumbent Test opening partner, having made 130 in Australia’s most recent Test, in Colombo in August.Marsh came in for that third Test after the selectors sprung a surprise by axing both Khawaja and Burns, who had been prolific scorers in the 2015-16 home Test summer and had each scored Test centuries in New Zealand in February. Khawaja said this week that he felt he and Burns had been made “scapegoats” for Australia’s collective batting struggles against spin in Sri Lanka.”It’s a pretty big decision after just two Test matches,” Khawaja told the this week. “It was disappointing that Joe Burns and I were sort of the scapegoats for not performing. I just thought that I’d only played two Test matches in the subcontinent and I got dropped. I wasn’t the only person who wasn’t scoring runs.”There was only one other person who scored a 50 in the first two Test matches at that time and that was Steve Smith. I only had two bad Test matches on tough wickets. I found it pretty fickle that the selectors dropped me for the third one. It was disappointing how that panned out. But I guess there’s some things you don’t have control over.”Although Marsh’s inclusion in Colombo was a success the other – Moises Henriques at No.5 – was a failure, which should mean there will be room for at least one of Burns or Khawaja in the first Test against South Africa at the WACA. Since the Sri Lankan tour, Khawaja has played only three matches, scoring an unbeaten 82 in an ODI against Ireland in South Africa, and then 38 and 35 in the final stages of the Matador Cup for Queensland.”Uzzie probably hasn’t got as many runs as he would have liked in the Matador Cup,” Smith said on Monday. “He’s come off a great summer here last year and he’s a quality player so I’m sure he’ll be amongst the runs soon.”Meanwhile, in other Shield squad news, New South Wales batsman Nic Maddinson has been ruled out due to the delayed effects of concussion, having been struck on the helmet during Friday’s Matador Cup elimination final. Maddinson played in the decider on Sunday, but Cricket New South Wales doctor John Orchard said Maddinson began feeling unwell late in the final.Maddinson will be joined on the sidelines by fellow batsman Daniel Hughes, who was also struck on the helmet in Friday’s elimination final. Hughes was substituted out of that game under Cricket Australia’s new concussion substitute rules, and did not play in the final.Fast bowler Pat Cummins, who was again battling a stress fracture of the back during the off-season, made his return via six Matador Cup matches but has not been named in the New South Wales Shield squad. Cummins has not played a Shield game for more than five and a half years.